


Ride or Die

by AirieNSFW (Airie)



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Banter, Blowjobs, Cowgirl Position, Established Relationship, F/M, Femdom, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Missionary Position, Non-binary character, Oral Sex, Other, Pansexual Character, Porn with Feelings, Post-Canon, Praise Kink, Role Reversal, Romance, Strap-Ons, Teasing, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:47:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29268210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airie/pseuds/AirieNSFW
Summary: Takes place shortly after "the Star" ending. The Aldecaldos stop on their way to Arizona to make camp for the night. At the campfire Panam reveals to V that there was one additional package they stole from Militech along with the Basilisk. Spoiler - it's a high-tech strap-on with sophisticated sensory feedback. They slip away to their tent to test it out.V is of nomad lifepath, transmasculine, pansexual and a very hungry power bottom. He also has a thing for dressing up as a cowboy.
Relationships: Panam Palmer/V
Kudos: 23





	Ride or Die

V dared hope that starting a new life this time around would work out. After all, third time's a charm, right? Too bad his days were numbered. Six months, give or take. Not much, but he was going to make the best of whatever time he had left. And he had some damned good reasons to live for. 

Hanako Arasaka once told him that everyone should know their place. Well, he was exactly where he needed to be - back on the road with people he could call family and the most amazing woman at his side. Meanwhile, Hanako was dead so who was laughing now?

He left NC with the Aldecaldos without a second thought, the city had nothing to offer him but shallow promises of glory. Funny, those exact promises were what brought him there in the first place. He wanted to prove to himself and everyone who doubted him back in his old clan, that he had what it takes to become a Night City legend. A gonk dream the local fixers were more than happy to exploit in exchange for a handful of eddies and vague promises of fame and fortune. 

City of Dreams… more like City of Delusions. Fuck that noise. He was not going to waste his remaining days on chasing some empty pipedream. 

He missed the life of a nomad and quickly fell back into the familiar routine of caravan life. There was always something to fix or someone to help out, so he was keeping himself busy. And there was always the occasional skirmish with the Raffen Shiv to spice up his day. 

The further he got away from Night City, the better he slept. A welcome change after weeks of waking up from nightmares with a scream, covered in cold sweat. Perhaps it was because he was no longer plagued by migraines caused by the malfunctioning Relic chip. Maybe it was the quiet of the Badlands, where the stars shone brighter and the only persistent sound was the wind and the occasional coyote.

Or maybe it was the mind-blowing sex he was having with the woman of his life. Who knows?

\---

He woke up to catch a blurry glimpse of a billboard on the side of the desert road, before it vanished beyond his line of sight. Instinctively, he ran his fingers under his nose expecting to find a trail of dried blood, but there was none. Guess Vik’s pills were working after all. Clearing his dry throat, he shifted his attention from the passenger-side window to look at this driver’s profile. 

Damn, she looked like a dream with her face illuminated by the warm rays of the setting sun and her clever whiskey-colored eyes focused on the road. He stared at her for a longer moment with a dumb grin, unable to believe his luck. How was someone like her with a guy like him? Guess she liked her men both charming and stupid. 

She was so determined, so capable, a true force of nature. And yet, she was still so incredibly caring, so raw and passionate in her devotion, even if getting all lovey-dover was not her thing. Her love was straightforward, no bullshit, no coddling. Once she made her mind up about you, she was going to stick with you to the very end. A real ride or die kind of woman. 

Panam caught his incisive stare and jumped in her seat. “Jesus Christ, V! Stop staring at me like that! Scared the shit out of me.” She snapped at him with a shrug, focusing her attention back on the road. 

He snickered, stretching in his seat and rubbing the back of his stiff neck. He almost forgot how it was to sleep in cars for most of the time. “Sorry. We there yet?”

“We crossed the state line over an hour ago. Welcome to Arizona.” Panam replied, turning up the volume on the radio. “Won’t be long ‘till we reach Tucson. I already heard back from some of my contacts, things look promising.”

“Mhm. You think we can sleep in a tent tonight? My neck is killing me.” He quickly changed subjects. Finding a way to save his sorry hide was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He’ll worry about crossing that bridge once he gets there. He preferred to focus on the present for now. For instance, how they were going to spend this evening.

“Oh sure, make jokes. It’s not like I’m not trying to save your life or anything.” She scoffed giving him a look, but she couldn’t help but smile, glad he was in a good mood.

“We still have a few days before we reach Tucson. I promise not to drop dead in the meantime. Now” he inched closer, brushing his fingers against her thigh, “you mentioned we’re going to stop to make camp tonight. You think we could have some alone time?”

Panam shook her head, but was still smiling, more than welcome to feel his hand wander up her leg, then curve to stroke her inner thigh. Damn, he was smooth… when he wasn’t an idiot.

“Sleaze.” She said, biting her lower lip.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

\---

The clan made camp off the road, just in time before nightfall. Tents were erected, small bonfires dotted the campsite in the quickly approaching dark. V stared up at the starry sky, making himself comfortable at one of the fires, accepting food and some conversation from one of the family members. The food was simple, but tasted better than anything he had back in NC. 

His eyes wandered, slipping from one face to another, until he realized he was absentmindedly looking for Johnny, almost expecting to find the rockerboy somewhere in the background either smoking and looking bored or staring back at him with that characteristic mean smirk. Just the day before he heard the fucker’s voice on the radio tuned to one of those obscure stations playing classic rock on loop. Hearing Silverhand scream his lungs out, made V tense up in his seat, staring blankly past the window shield. Panam wanted to quickly change the station, but he told her it was okay.

“I like this one. You could say I can’t get it out of my head.” He joked shrugging his shoulders, listening to Johnny sing his hear tout about never fading away.

He missed the fucker, plain and simple. Wherever in Cyberspace Johnny might have ended up, V hoped he was doing well. Probably having a blast pissing off any AI or daemon unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. 

“Godspeed, you glorious bastard.” He quietly said to himself, pouring some of his beer on the ground in tribute to Silverhand. 

“Hey, sorry to have kept you wanting.” Panam interrupted his reminiscing, sitting heavily at his side with an exhausted groan. “I know this was a long day, but I needed to go over our route again. And I wanted to make sure we have enough water for the last leg of our trip. And then I had to talk to Mitch about fixing our solar panels when we get to our destination. Oh, and you wouldn’t believe-”

V pulled his arm over her waist, cocking his head to the side. She was a firebrand and could sometimes wind herself up. Panam closed her mouth and crossed her brows, taking a deep breath through her nose, then exhaling it slowly between her lips. 

“You know what? Fuck it, things can wait ‘till tomorrow. I’m beat.” She said, relaxing her tense shoulders. 

“Glad to hear. I can help Mitch with the panels, so you can cross that off your list. Now grab your food before it gets cold. I saved you the best bits.”

She quickly wolfed down her grub and washed it down with a cold one, then cracked open another one, but this time took the time to savor the drink like a civilized person. 

“Okay, here’s the deal.” Her voice lowered to a whisper as she was looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on them. “Do you remember when we stole the Basilisk?”

“How could I forget?” V grinned, recalling one of the best convoy jumps of his life. Part of him missed that adrenaline rush and reckless bravado, but he couldn’t afford to risk his life like that anymore. Not without a damned good reason. 

“Yeah, well I never told you, but there was one extra package Militech was transporting along with the tank. A very inconspicuous metal briefcase to be delivered to some Militech suit, one Meredith Stout…”

“It’s some weird sex tech, isn’t it?” V interrupted with a strange look on his face, something between certainty and amazement. 

“H-how did you know?!” She asked, taken aback by his sudden insight. 

“Lucky guess. Almost all high-ranking corpos are sex freaks. Especially Militech.” He shrugged his shoulders as nonchalantly as he could. 

“Right. Anyway, I was planning to save this for a special occasion, but fuck it. Do you want to test this weird sex gadget now?” She asked innocently, but her warm eyes were sparkling with lewd intent. 

“Hell yeah!”

She took him by the hand and the two of them practically ran across the camp like horny teenagers, accompanied by loud whistling and laughs from the family. Once they were alone in the privacy of their tent, V fell onto their tall fold-up mattress, watching Panam retrieve from her footlocker the aforementioned briefcase.

“V?” She had that disapproving tone, resting the package on her hip and giving him a scrutinizing look.

“Yeah?” He asked, taking off his favorite well-worn leather boots.

“The hat. Lose it.” She sighed, shaking her head.

He never dressed like city folk and everyone could clearly see him for who he was – a nomad. Still, she could never understand why he was always wearing… what he wore. From his old cowboy boots, washed out jeans, the shamelessly unbuttoned high-neck to that damned white hat he loved so much. If “cyber-cowboy who’s definitely not straight” was the look he was going for, then he nailed it.

Okay, okay. Maybe she was a bit into that. But that didn’t mean she was going to entertain his eccentric style while they were fucking.

“The cowboy hat stays ON during sex!” V insisted, adjusting the damned thing on his head.

Panam’s nose crinkled, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she joined him on their bed, resting the mystery package between them. Gently, she tilted his chin up to look at her. He grinned like an idiot, thinking he won. Fat chance.

“Hey, C’mon!” He protested when she pulled the hat off his head to put it on herself in one quick motion.

“Compromise.” She calmly said, nudging the briefcase towards him. “Now stop pouting and open it, so we can get to the fun part.”

The lock clicked and V pulled back the top of the casing, revealing the contents. There, on a bed of foam padding rested the mystery item – a hot pink anatomically correct double-dildo with bright neon lights for veins. One end was shaped so it would snugly fit inside the wearer and rest on the pubic bone, while the other… much longer and girthier end was meant for the party that was going to get fucked.

“Whoa.” He exhaled loudly, staring at it with his mouth open. Curiously, he ran his fingers the length of the toy, feeling under his fingertips the finest RealSkinn available on the market. It felt lifelike and not just because of the texture. It had the warmth and firmness of a real erect cock, wrapped in velvet skin and thick pulsating veins… Meredith must have flipped her shit after losing this baby.

Panam was already shaking off her jacket and working to free herself from her body harness and pants. In a matter of seconds she was wearing only her green teddy, while V was still processing the possibilities. 

“Pretty nova, huh? I’ve read the instructions; it’s designed to make the wearer experience sensations like they had a real ‘ganic cock!” She revealed, her voice betraying she was as excited as he was. 

“So… who gets to be on which end?” He asked, taking the dildo out of the case. It was pleasantly supple and surprisingly light despite its girth and length. 

She smiled and that confident smile said it all.

“Okay, got it. It’s kinda big though, you know how to use it?” He wondered, lifting the dildo to examine it under the light. 

“I can fit my palm inside you up to my wrist and you’ve never complained. Relax.” She assured, shoving the briefcase off the mattress. “Now get naked. Actually, scratch that, let me take those pesky clothes off myself.” 

The dildo rolled across the mattress whilst Panam pulled V’s tank top over his head, then reached to undo his belt and pull off his fatigued jeans, leaving him only in his shorts. With an impish smirk, she got on top of him, whilst he took the opportunity to grope and knead her ample ass.

“Foreplay first, yeah? I want to spoil you a bit before you go to town on me…” He muttered with his face stuffed between her tits.

She snorted an amused laugh, but was biting her lip nonetheless, dry-humping him, already imagining what it will feel like to fuck his pussy raw with that huge artificial cock. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face and hear the sounds he was going to be making. 

Having his fill of playing with her divine ass, V switched his attention to his woman’s equally tantalizing tits. His fingers hooked under the well-worn teddy’s neckline and he pulled down sharply, freeing them from under the constricting fabric with a bounce.

He always had that look whenever he saw her naked. That mix of adoration and awe. Panam couldn’t help but giggle, throwing her chest in his face. What a dumbass she got herself… A dumbass that loved to use his tongue and teeth on every inch of her body.

“I can never get enough of looking at you.” He confessed without thinking, cupping them together. His wet tongue ran from one side to the other, caressing both dark nipples and sending a pleasant shiver up her spine. 

“Fuck…” She grunted, sinking her nails into his shoulders and wiggling her behind, squirming under his teeth and fingers teasing her nipples not so gently… just how she loved it. 

“Getting hot ma’am?” He joked, rolling them between his fingers, diverting his attention from her chest to lock eyes with her.

Before she could snap back at him with a clever comeback, V released her tits with one final tug, resting on his back and giving her sides a light pinch, silently urging Panam to move up and sit on his face. She scrambled up to hover over him, lowering herself so that her crotch was right in his face.

She smelled so good and tasted even better, but V wanted to savor the pleasure. Gently, he ran his fingers the length of her pussy, leaving a wet line on her teddy’s crotch. He then pressed his tongue against her clothed mound, grinding hard against her tender lips, soaking the material in his saliva and her juices.

“You’ll get me all messy… And you know we can’t do any laundry until we reach civilization… Ugh, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” She muttered, twisting her fingers into his hair for a better grip while she was riding his face.

Yes, V was having the time of his life. And yes, he enjoyed teasing her as much as he enjoyed adoring her. But he didn’t want to prolong the best part for too long, so he quickly pulled the now thoroughly drenched material to the side, exposing her glistening pussy.

“Motherf-! You want me to finish so soon?! No, wait… keep going. Mmm… stick your tongue in… Hooo yeah.” She groaned, feeling his agile tongue squirming and grinding between her slippery lips before it gave her clit a quick lick and snuck inside. His scruffy cheeks teasing her groin came as an additional bonus. 

V could eat her pussy out the entire night, but whilst getting Panam ready for putting on her end of the toy, he was getting pretty worked up himself and could feel his shorts stick to his heating up pussy. Yeah, he could use some good dicking down, it’s been a while since he had a cock in him. And he wanted her to do it to him. Badly.

“I think you’re all set.” He said from under her, giving her perky clit a final kiss.

Reluctantly, she got off of him, leaving his lips and cheeks glimmering from sweat and wetness. She stepped out off her teddy, making sure he had a good look of her ass while she was bending over. Nude, except for the hat, she then found the toy under the crumpled blanket and sat down at the edge of the mattress, preparing for insertion. V got behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and craning his head above her shoulder to get a better look. 

“Need a hand?” He joked, biting the tip of her ear.

“Shuddup, let me focus.” Panam breathed, relaxing and pressing her end of the toy between her lips. She gave a quiet hum, pushing her hips against the tapered RealSkynn, taking it in slowly. Once it completely sunk inside her, she exhaled letting it settle in. 

“How does it feel?” V asked, supporting her back, massaging her tits and marking her neck with shallow nips.

“Pretty nice, fits me like a glove.” She said with a dreamy smile he couldn’t see. “Now,” she stood up and turned around to face him with her cock in hand, “hope you’re ready for what I’m packing.”

“Sorry, but if you were hoping to make me blush, then you’re up for a disappointment. I had my fair share of dicks before I met you.” He smirked, shifting to sit at the edge of the bedding. 

“Then you know what to do next.” She smiled back mischievously, cocking her head to the side and resting both fists on her hips, not so subtly throwing them forward and almost smacking him in the face with her cock. 

“Blow at it and make a wish?” He snarked, reaching to grab her by the ass-cheek and pull closer, wrapping his other hand around her base.

She adjusted the hat and have him an impatient nod, urging to get busy. V rolled his eyes, but stuck his tongue out nonetheless, giving the tip a taste. It tasted like synthetic skin – both familiar and still uncanny. Oddly human and yet having that strange quality only high-end cyberware had. He didn’t dwell on it, sealing his lips around the crown, suckling at it and unhurriedly jerking her off. 

Loudly, Panam sucked in a breath through her teeth, gripping him tightly by the shoulders. The tech was mind-blowing, she felt each flick of his tongue and jerk of his hand like he were touching her own flesh. 

“F-fuck… I think the sensitivity is set too high on this thing.” She stuttered, tensing her pelvic muscles.

“Nah, I’m just that good.” V quipped, lifting the girthy prick to run his flattened tongue the entire length of the underside.

Cocky fucker. Panam jerked the corner of her mouth up, gathering V’s hair into a tight fistful. Was he surprised when she roughly pushed his head against her cock? No. He was more surprised how smoothly it slid on his tongue and past his tonsils. It seemed he still had it in him! Fighting laughter, he relaxed his throat and curved his tongue, letting her fuck his face with reckless abandon.

He was taking it well… too well. And of course, he was looking up at her with pride in his eyes, gurgling with every rough thrust, making a wet mess of his chest and laps. His lips, his agile tongue and the wet hotness of his throat felt incredible, she felt like she was claiming his clever mouth with the real thing!

She had to have him. Now.

Without a word of warning she yanked his head back to look up at her, pulling the dildo out of his dripping mouth with a pop. Her eyes narrowed as she pushed him down onto the mattress, reaching to not so gently pull off his wet shorts. V snickered, resting flat on his back, reaching over his head to grab a pillow and shove it under his pelvis.

“Nah, forget the foreplay. Get on top of me and fuck me already.” He demanded, observing her spread his thighs and get busy between them.

Too horny to bother with words, she grunted possessively in response, gripping him tightly by the hips, stuffing her tongue inside him. V gasped, wiggling in her grasp, but she was adamant to eat him out first. He folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. He was impressed by how fast she learned to eat pussy. Ah, but she was good at everything she put her heart into. 

“You’re making me melt. But come over here already, I’m as ready as I can be…” He pleaded again, this time softer, watching her through half-shut eyes. 

She got on top of him, her cheeks and lips wet. They locked eyes in silence as Panam guided the tip of her cock against V’s overflowing opening. He breathed slowly, staring back at her with a blissful grin, locking his legs around her waist.

“What’s so funny?” She asked, slowly pushing the tip inside, electrified by the sensation. And this was merely the first inch. 

“You should see the look on your face. So serious. Come on, go deeper, it’s just a cun-OH GOD!” He cried, wrapping his arms around her as Panam fell onto him with all her weight, hilting her meaty cock inside him.

He was so hot! So slippery, and he fitted her to snug. Burying her face between V’s neck and shoulder, Panam withdrew only to slam her hips into him again, ripping another cry from her man. He tensed, gripping her tighter with his arms and legs, squeezing his pussy so hard she had difficulty withdrawing for the second time.

“Fuck me, babe.” He groaned strained into her ear.

She bit into his neck, ramming her cock inside him, pushing the mattress forward a few good inches. Spreading her bent legs for better support, she slid her hands under his back, fucking V fast and deep, taking in the strained praises he whispered into her ear.

“Fuck, you’re so huge, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow. Yeah, just like that, you’re sooo deep inside me… Don’t you dare stop! You’re doing… ungh… so fucking good…”

“Y-you’re so…” She breathed into his neck after a particularly powerful thrust that made V see white.

“Yeah?” He laughed, cupping her sweaty face in his hands. “Cat caught your tongue? Come on, I’m so what?”

There it was, that fire in her eyes. Instead of answering, she shoved her tongue deep down V’s throat, kissing like her life depended on it. Letting out a low, feral grunt into his mouth, she gripped him by the thighs, pushing his hips up so that she was folding him in half and roughly mating-pressing into the mattress.

“You’re so hot! And you’re gripping me so tight, I can feel every inch of you.” She breathed through clenched teeth. “Jesus, V. I’m… I’m…”

Apparently, she was at a loss of words for once, letting her mind melt away and give into basic instinct. All she could do was thrust and grind her hips into him, groaning and moaning into his ear. V smiled with pride, realizing she had gotten him so wet, that his juices were running down his ass and the small of his back. Sweetly, he whispered more words of encouragement into Panam’s ear, but felt it was time for a change of pace, unless he wanted her to finish too soon.

And he was having way too much fun for that to happen.

“I want to be on top of you.” He pleaded, reaching to grab her by the tits and roughly roll her nipples to get her attention. “Please babe, let me hop on that big dick of yours, you won’t regret it.”

Panam peered into his eyes, bottoming out of him reluctantly. V groaned, feeling his grazed cunt throb, thoroughly tenderized by that thick shaft, but he wasn’t done yet. With an exhausted huff, Panam rolled off of him and made herself comfortable, as V straddled her taking her wet cock into his palm.

“Ride this dick, cowboy.” She joked between deep breathes, surrendering his hat back to him.

V put it on with a devilish smirk, gripping her just below the crown. He eased himself down slowly, but only until roughly a third of her impressive length. 

“No.” He shook his head slightly as Panam whined, grabbing him by the hips. He was adamant to take the wheel and come on own his terms. Though, having her mewl in hopeless frustration was a welcome addition. 

“Fucker…” She hissed, bucking her hips, but he was holding her prick firmly, preventing her from sinking completely into that wet, tight heat.

“Hold your horses. You’ve worked yourself up fucking me into the mattress. Relax and have fun, I’ll handle things form here.” 

The look on her face when she couldn’t get her way was priceless. V flashed her a cocky grin, arching his back, lowering himself on her cock with a pleased grunt until the last inch sunk inside him. He wiggled his hips, reaching down to stroke himself on his engorged clit. Fuck, he was having a tough time keeping himself from finishing too fast.

He picked up the pace, bouncing on Panam’s cock energetically, observing her react to his every move with both smug satisfaction and deep admiration. She bit her lip, folding her arms behind her head, having a hard time controlling her face. Perfect. 

The tent was stuffy, filled with the sound of wet bodies slapping against each other and heavy breathing. There was no point in stretching this out, V wanted to come just as badly as she did. He bent forward, supporting his hands on her shoulders, going faster. Tenderly, he peeled a lock of hair sticking to her wet cheek and tugged behind her ear. 

“Do you want to come? ‘Cause I don’t think I can keep it up for much longer.” He calmly said, his voice not matching his moves.

Agitated by V’s words, Panam abruptly sat up, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, raking his back with her nails. Fighting against her iron grip V withdrew, for a second hovering on top of her cock with only his outer lips wrapped around Panam’s thick cockhead, before roughly falling on her with impact, sending her over the edge. She bit into his shoulder, muffling her cries, coming hard. With her last coherent thought, she reached between their sweaty bodies to find his thick clit and rub it frantically until he tensed, gasped a ragged curse and quivered, following suit. 

Both rode out their orgasms until strength abandoned them completely.

Supporting Panam’s back, V gently rested her on her back and dismounted her, leaving her thighs and groin soaked in their mixed sweat and juices. She looked up at him with a tired smile, letting him put a pillow under her head. She could use a drink, but had to wait for her legs to stop shaking first.

“We won’t be needing this anymore. I call dibs on the next round.” V cheerfully said, pulling the toy out of her with a wet plop and tossing it aside.

Whistling a tune, he leaned over the edge of the mattress to rummage through the discarded pile of clothes. With a triumphant ‘a-ha!’ he laid at her side, holding his trusty old flask. Pulling Panam closer, he offered her the first sip. She accepted the flask without a word. The whiskey was warm, but tasted divine. 

“Did you like it?” He asked innocently, making himself comfortable, taking back the flask and chugging down the remaining booze.

“Fucking hell.” She sighed, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Sleepy, huh?” He guessed, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Mhm. Too bad we have to pack up and get going early tomorrow. Wouldn’t mind you trying this baby out for yourself.” She muttered, holding him tight. 

“I’m sure we’ll have some time to ourselves once we reach Tucson. Get some rest, I’ll wake you up in the morning.” He promised, stroking her hip, where she had a scar left after their faithful assault on the Kang Tao AV. 

“Sounds good.” She said with her eyes closed. “And V?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re in this together. To the very end.” 

“I know. I love you.”

She snickered, but didn’t open her eyes. “Why do you always have to get so sappy after sex… I love you too, g’night.” 

Her breathing slowed down and Panam quickly fell asleep. Which was of no surprise to V, she needed her rest after a long day of driving and a good fuck. He held her closer, absentmindedly shaking his flask but unfortunately no more whiskey magically appeared inside. Resigned, he tossed it in the corner, shifting to lay on this side and observe her tranquil face. Wait, where was his hat? Ah, never mind, he’ll find it in the morning. 

He smiled. So what if he was sappy? He never liked to restrain his feelings around people he trusted and was always transparent with his affection once he felt comfortable with someone. And right now, with the love of his life sleeping next to him, a family to back him up and hope somewhere on the distant horizon he felt more alive than ever.

Maybe he had only six more months to life. Maybe his brain was going to give out in the next six days. Or maybe he was going to get bitten by a rattlesnake the next time he goes out to take a piss. Or catch a stray bullet in their next skirmish with the Raffen Shiv. Who knew? 

And who cared? He was exactly where he needed to be, and was not going to trade this life for anything in the world.


End file.
